I'm Here For You
by Loki'sArmy0602
Summary: The bed was too soft, the floor too hard. His mind was running and wouldn't stop. Thoughts of his past and thoughts of his future flickering before him. His breathing was uneven and his heart was beating fast. The night was cold as he stared blankly up at the ceiling. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain.


**30 day OTP challenge - Steve/Maria. Day 17**

**Spooning**

The gush of cold wind wasn't what woke Maria. It wasn't the car alarm outside on the street either. It was the fact that the bed felt

empty, covers pulled back on Steve's side. She slowly raised her head off her pillow to stare at his side of the bed, his imprint still there. She frowned slightly and then sat up, leaning over to Steve's side of the bed.

She leaned over the edge to find Steve laying on his back on the hard wooden floor. He was staring up at the blank ceiling, tiredness visible on his face. Maria guessed he hadn't been to sleep for about three hours knowing Steve. If it got past an hour of not being able to get to sleep, Steve would roll of the bed and lay on the floor. Considering the coldness of his side of the bed and the tiredness on his face, Maria guessed three hours.

She smiled softly down at him, knowing he was having one of his anxiety attacks.

"Hey honey," Maria said softly, looking down at him from the bed. Steve dragged his eyes from the ceiling, staring blankly up at her.

"I can't get to sleep," Steve mumbled into the darkness.

"I know," Maria said.

She knew the bed was too soft for him and sometimes he needed to lay on the hard floor, just to ease his running mind slightly.

The hard floor reminded him that it had only been 70 years not 700 years. It hadn't changed a lot, just slightly more advanced than the 40's. The soft bed was difficult to sleep on sometimes, and Maria understood. She had been in the army, she understood how it felt to go from laying on hard wooden beds to then suddenly have a soft, warm bed.

Steve took a deep breath, not looking away from Maria's eyes. The eyes that told him everything was going to be ok. The sliver blues that slowly guided him back to bed.

Maria pressed her body up against her back, wrapping an arm around him to hold him. Steve stared blankly at the window opposite him as Maria placed a kiss on his shoulder. Her left hand came up to stroke his blonde messy hair. It calmed him, calmed him a lot in fact.

They would do this each time this happened. Maria would gently get Steve back into bed and she would be the big spoon. It was her turn to protect him and when he felt better he would roll over to hold her instead.

About twenty minutes later, around four in the morning, Steve slowly rolled over to lay on his back.

"I don't like it," Steve mumbled into the dark room. Maria gently kissed him on the jaw as he spoke "It get's too much... all of it," Steve told her. Maria stroked his hair as he talked, just listening to him. "At first I had nearly broke down when I saw all this," Steve said, gesturing to the air around him but Maria knew he was talking about the 21th century. "I knew it had to get worst before it got better... and it did. Now it's better... because of you," Steve said and then took a long deep breath as Maria kept running her fingers through his hair. "Without you to help me, I probable would have just completely broke down," Steve told her.  
"I'm here, it's okay," she said and Steve nodded, his heart beating normally now. His mind had stopped running with the thoughts of being alone in the worlds, thoughts of the Howling Commando's and of Bucky, who was still on the run. Sam and Steve had not given up, just on a long break for a while since they had zero leads on where he was at the moment and it had been like that for the past four months. Maria had tried to help as well as Stark, but all results were useless. Also thoughts of the engagement ring.

Steve turned his head towards Maria who softly smiled at him.

"Thank you," Steve whispered to her. He kissed her on the lips, warm and soft. "I love you," Steve told her.

"I love you too," Maria muttered back to him and they both rolled over. Steve cuddled up to the back of her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to his chest. Her back pressed lightly against his chest as he kissed her on the shoulder and then the side of the neck. He nuzzled his head into her hair, which was lose for bed.

Maria brought her hand up and linked her fingers with Steve's in front of her. She placed a kiss on his hand before closing her eyes.


End file.
